A message to all Cyclists.

[Karfroogle]

The only issue I have with cyclists on the road are the ones that are on the road, at night, in all black clothing, with no reflectors or anything of the sort. It's like, "Oh, I'd love to come home alive tonight, but these black clothes are just so slimming compared to those white ones and reflectors are so last year!" I've almost run two people over because they thought it was smart to wear black clothes in a dimly lit road.

 

[chadachada123]

If your over 18 you don't have to wear a helmet. It's only enforced by law if you are a minor.

that is just retarded. i'm all for offering ppl the right to kill themselves if they want but in australia helmets like seatbelts are required at all times. also over here bike riders have the same rights as a car and MUST be on the road unless a bike lane is provided

it sucks coming around a corner to find some health or greenie nut doing 5k an hour that refuses to pull over for a split second into the shoulder forcing me to waste petrol snail pacing behind him but what i think is much worse these days are the motorized bikes that are all over the place, never once have i seen one obey the same road rules regular vehicles do and they are noisy as fuck

EDIT: what i hate most about bike riders is the bastards rock up to a red light then go cruise over to the pedestrian crossing and suddenly magically transform themselves into pedestrians and use the crossing. it's awesome that that you save yourself 30 seconds at the cost of all other drivers who have to wait for the lights to go through a crossing cycle but 2 minuets later i'm just gonna be riding your ass again

I'm not sure what state/country the other poster lives in, but I know that helmet laws vary widely across states and cities in the US, and, hell, even across neighborhoods.

I think part of the reason it isn't required (at all, to my knowledge) in my state/county is because most of the bike-riding here is done on nature trails or just off-roading in general, or kids riding through their neighborhood (who wouldn't have to worry about cars much at all). Sure, it's not very safe, but you also don't have to worry about cars being in your way or even being in view of the public.

Fun fact: In Michigan, seat belts are required for drivers and passengers in the front row, but are completely optional for people in the back seat, assuming they are over 16.

Additional fun fact: Outside of (some) cities, traffic lights here (Michigan) don't have "crossing cycles." Pedestrians cross at the same time as cars do, with cars that are turning yielding to pedestrians when pedestrians are present. This likely stems from the fact that there is very little pedestrian traffic in my area. Hell, most bike traffic just uses the sidewalk, too, with the exception being "those guys" that have the ultra-expensive racing bikes and suits and shit. A rarity, here.

 

[Kaymish]

cyclists are a menace on the road firstly they roam the street in packs and these packs often take up the whole lane where is this sharing the road you are all so fond of huh? secondly when they get separated from their rudimentary hive-mind intelligence they decide to roll all over the road cutting off cars and trucks left right and bloody centre the last 3 cyclist crashes i have seen 100% the cyclists fault trucks just cant stop that fast
and thats on top of the shear arrogance of the cyclists

 

[Souplex]

Motorist scum! Just because you're dead below the waist does not entitle you to complain about your cycling superiors!
Nothing is more infuriating than being cut off by some asshole in a car who cannot understand the pecking order.
Why would anyone drive in New York?

 

[xmbts]

I'm mixed on this one, I only get annoyed with it if they're riding in the middle of the lane, because I'm usually running late, and seriously that's a horrible idea given how many people text and drive.

 

[BeerTent]

[...]

An open letter to other drivers:

Maybe you should stay the fuck off the road, because you're clearly incapable, not a single one of you knows how to set up your mirrors, and roughly a quarter of you have a higher chance of causing property damage than getting to the McDonalds down the street.

You know... I don't like it either, I really don't. And I'd much rather be riding on the sidewalk on the lowest gear possible. (Look! We agree on something!) But we're here, and if you want to change that, try informing someone who gives a shit that's not us. We can't afford a cozy car, or maybe we don't even want a car, and because of that we get abused, cornered, splashed[footnote]Fuck off, it's reckless endangerment and your a goddamn sociopathic manchild if you do it.[/footnote], shit thrown at us, and in some cases, actually fucking hit. (Yes, hit on purpose, License Plate ???-428, Black BMW. Hit-and-Run.) even though we're supposed to be where we are on the road.

While I cannot cite the law where you're from, It's part of the NS Motor Vehicle Act that we are to remain on the road(See Motor Vehicle Act. R.S., c. 293, s. 1. - 171(2), 171(4)), and not the sidewalk. We have to deal with you assholes ploughing by us at 70kph a mere inch from our handle-bar, and you in turn complain that we make you slow down? That you have to move your damn vehicle a foot to the left, when you've got the 5 feet WE NEED BY LAW completely empty between you and the other lane/traffic? All because you need to get there four goddamn seconds earlier? Or maybe you think it's fucking hilarious because you're a sociopath?

Try slowing the fuck down, it's not the Speed Limit +20kph you have to drive at. If you legitimately got cut off by someone not doing a shoulder-check, honk your horn. oh... Wait, that still won't work because you all already blew it by throwing the fountain pop you didn't care to drink at us.

-Cyclists (And Tent. Totally Tent too...)

To bust other people on spewing horse-shit on what we can and cannot do, go to google and type in "[State/Province] traffic laws bicycle". While you wont always get the legal document, I've found that Florida has the exact same rules and regulations as N.S. (Other than headsets, also Florida Traffic Laws Section 316.151 (1)(b)(c), F.S. may interest the O.P.)

 

[BloatedGuppy]

I have all the respect in the world for people who choose to cycle. It's environmentally friendly, it's healthy, it's less wear and tear on the infrastructure, it contributes less to traffic...I could go on and on. There is of course an exception, and it's cyclists who cannot be assed to follow basic traffic laws. Which, from anecdotal experience stretching back 20 years, is basically all of them. There's seriously like 3 cyclists I can think of I actually saw cycling properly.

Most cyclists, it's just every man for himself. They weave in and out of traffic, ignore lights, blow through blind alleys, pitch up on the walks whenever it pleases them, slink through parked cars and wade into traffic flow with no warning...you name it...if there's a stupid, dangerous thing they can be doing on their bike, they're doing it. The popular argument seems to be...I'm a bike, if I fuck up, no one gets hurt but me. Except when I'm in a car, I have to react to your stupid, law flounting, cycling ass. And when you're unpredictable and stupid...and you basically always are...suddenly I'M at risk. As is everyone near me. Because I have no idea what the fuck you're going to be doing from one second to the next.

But that's fine. Cyclists will continue to hate drivers, and drivers will continue to hate cyclists, and everyone will continue to hate pedestrians because god knows those jay walking motherfuckers don't give a shit about ANY laws.

 

[Blood Brain Barrier]

*ahem*

Get. Off. The. Road.

You do not have the right to be in the same lane as a driver. You do not have an engine. You are not a car.

You are a person on a pushbike, and I am quite frankly sick and goddamn tired of being cut off, pushed over, made to slow down, and forced into oncoming traffic just because some asshole (or group of collective assholes) in Lycra thinks he can pedal his way into car lanes.

Surely I can't be the only one feeling the rage on this one?

Nothing makes me more furious on the road than this. What is going through a cyclists head when he thinks it is OK to exit the pushbike lane and just include himself among car traffic? It is fucking DANGEROUS and I dont care whether your an Olympic gold medal winner or not...you are on a bike and you do NOT belong on the road with cars.

Just yesterday, I was crossing over a BRIDGE and was forced to swerve to avoid a cyclist because he thought he was too good to ride in the BARRED OFF BICYCLE LANE.

Hell, I even hate it when cyclists position themselves in their bike lane, but so frigging close to the line they might as well not be in there at all. I know the law says that this is OK to do, but do you know what else the law says is OK to do? Take a plane to Africa, go out on the Savannah and punch a Lion in the face. Yeah, it's technically legal, but does that make it smart or safe? NO!

Am I the only one who is this pissed off about this?

The only thing I feel pissed off about is that some countries' governments don't feel the need to make permanent and continuous bike lanes. What's a rider supposed to do when the bike lane breaks up or someone is parked in the middle of it? I wouldn't stop. The cars can get fucked.

Visit the Netherlands, they get it right. Every road has a defined coloured area for bikes. It doesn't break up randomly, it doesn't let cars park in it or freely enter it, and it works incredibly well. That's confirmed by the number of bike riders they've got. (But then, the Dutch get everything right. Drug laws, prostitution, etc)

On principle I would give PRIORITY to bikes over the stinking, polluting cars in any and every way possible. What's the point of us knowing so much about carbon pollution and its devastating effects if the machines that do it are sanctioned and endorsed by the road laws to the disadvantage of non-polluting vehicles?

There is of course an exception, and it's cyclists who cannot be assed to follow basic traffic laws.

The laws suck. I don't know where you live, but when I lived in Holland I rode everywhere, and it was fun and quick. Back to Australia I tried to keep riding, but that lasted less than a week. It was hell. The road laws here make it as difficult as they can to be a cyclist and as easy as possible for the cars. It looks to be the same in the UK and US and most other places I've been. It's bullshit. So I'm a cyclist no longer and I'm driving again, and the environment suffers.

 

[WWmelb]

Haven't read all of this thread but:

Cyclists in my eyes (in Australia) should have access to my road when they:

1. Pay Registration (This goes toward upkeep of the road they desperately want to use and will hold them accountable for unsafe practices such as running red lights, switching to the footpath when they have a green man to avoid traffic hold up, stupid turning in illegal places, etc etc etc. Then you can use my road.

2. Pay TAC insurance, just like a car driver. At the moment, if a bike on the road has an accident involving a car, they are still entitled to the same government medical subsidies that the TAC insurance pays for without having to actually pay it. This insurance makes up for approximately 3/4 of our yearly cost of keeping our car legally on the road. Pay this and you can use my road.

3. Get a permit. It's dangerous out there on the road, regardless of who you are. You need to know road rules to ride safely on the road. Therefore: Pass a test to prove you can handle a push-bike effectively and know the law. Have this permit on you at all times. Then you can use my road.

4. If there is a bike lane. Stay the fuck in it. We have a lot of pathways/tracks/dual walk/bikeways in melbourne. Fucking use them. If it's there, running parallel to the road, use it. If i drive into what American's would call "Downtown" Melbourne from where i live. I should never see a single friggin cyclist, as there are BIKE TRACKS FOR BIKES ONLY BETWEEN HERE AND THERE. But what do i see? Lycra clad fuckwits all the way, because they don't want to mix with the regular cyclists.

5. SIMPLY DONT BIKE WHERE IT ISNT SAFE TO DO SO. that should go without saying.

I'm not against cyclists using the roads, but in all fairness, i pay for the privilege, and so should they.

edit: Yes i come off as entitled douche-bag. No i don't care. Had too many near misses from ignorant and selfish cyclists in my many years on the road. I always treat others with respect while i'm on the road, and can't stand anyone, cyclist, car driver or motorcyclist(don't get me started on them, they are the worst) on the road who behaves in an unsafe manner. Also believe anyone caught doing more than 30km/h over the speed limit, or driving / riding under the influence of any substance should be punished to the full extent of the law and banned from the road permanently.

 

[alandavidson]

snip

Ahem.

Unless there is a specified bike lane (not a sidewalk), we cyclists are required to ride on the road. We are considered "vehicle traffic" and all traffic laws are applicable to us.

So no, your little rant doesn't mean anything to me. Not when I have scars on my legs from being forced off the road by shit drivers who are trying to "teach me a lesson". Not when I've had to replace parts on my bike time and again from having to intentionally slam myself into fences. trees, rocks, etc, to keep from getting hit.

Maybe you should try slowing down, keeping your eyes on the road, and maybe try cycling sometime. Then you'll see just how fucking scared we can get when a giant SUV driven by an angry soccer mom who's texting and doing her hair while eating a gluten-free cheeseburger comes barreling down on us and we have nowhere to go.

 

[launchpadmcqwak]

Dear Motorists,

Stop contributing so much to pollution and learn to ride a bike or catch a train. You probably don't need a private vehicle.

Thank you.

Dear hippie teenagers; try to understand how the world actually works.

 

[manic_depressive13]

Dear Motorists,

Stop contributing so much to pollution and learn to ride a bike or catch a train. You probably don't need a private vehicle.

Thank you.

Dear hippie teenagers; try to understand how the world actually works.

Dear arrogant codger, I feel comfortable positing that a significant portion of people who drive cars to work could realistically cycle or catch public transport instead.

 

[lacktheknack]

I don't mind sharing the road with cyclist, but there has to a be common ground for everyone that is going to use the road.

If you're riding a bike on the street, WEAR A DAMN HELMET. And that's not to make us feel safer, but to keep you cyclists safe. If motorists need to wear seat belts and motorcyclists need to wear helmets, then cyclists need to wear helmets.

Also, officers; if you see a cyclist on the road without wearing a helmet, FREAKIN' STOP THEM. Not sure if you care or find it necessary to enforce the law to everyone on the road for safety, but it clearly needs to be enforced.

Do all this and everything will be fine.

If your over 18 you don't have to wear a helmet. It's only enforced by law if you are a minor.

Up here, it's all mandatory.

But hey, if you're willing to spill your brains because you're too lazy/insecure to add one piece of body armor, more power to you. Excuse me if I don't cry about your surgery.

 

[lacktheknack]

Dear Motorists,

Stop contributing so much to pollution and learn to ride a bike or catch a train. You probably don't need a private vehicle.

Thank you.

Dear hippie teenagers; try to understand how the world actually works.

Oh wait, you're not going to tell me? How arrogant.

I'll just ask the wealthy businessman down the street who takes the bus and train to work every day what he thinks.

...

...He says the bus is cheaper and more reliable during storms. I'll take his word for it and continue assuming that cars are not really necessary.

 

[major_chaos]

Snip

bus. cheap. reliable. ahahaha I would like to know where this gentleman lives, because it sure as fuck is nowhere near me. Around here the buses are unreliable, tickets are way to expensive and pickpockets are common and by god its like being a human sardine.

Snip

Dear elitist cyclist, I feel comfortable saying that for a person to not need a car and bike everywhere they would need to be:
Fit, middle aged, in a living arrangement with only 1-2 people, in a densely packed city environment with a living place that is extremely close to their place of work, doesn't need to go anywhere after dark, at very least not on the "bad" side of town (after dark on the bad side of town about sums up all my college classes) it would also be beneficial to live in a location where the winters aren't super cold and snowy and the summers are not humid and blisteringly hot. (my state has both)

And don't try to dismiss that with public transportation, I don't know about where you are but by me trains are expensive and inconvent, while buses are less expensive but still to much, get you nowhere fast, and tend to be a miserable experiences overall. and even if it weren't for all those things "take the bus" doesn't negate most of the above statements
I will admit there are times where people are getting in the car for very little reason and that owing a bike for certain occasions is not a bad thing, but your statement that "You probably don't need a private vehicle." is absurd considering that for weather and safety reasons alone I couldn't picture anyone in my state not needing a car. Also I would say that learning to drive is far easier then learning to ride a bike, the former came easily to me and I got though drivers ed no problem, the later cost me most of my palms and the better part of my face at which point I said fuck it and never bothered to try again.

EDIT forgot an OT
I actually have no issue with cyclists as long as they A. don't act like it gives them some untouchable moral high ground and B. don't do stupid things like cut in front of me in a 60 MPH zone or ride at night in black clothing with no reflectors.

 

[manic_depressive13]

Dear elitist cyclist, I feel comfortable saying that for a person to not need a car and bike everywhere they would need to be:
Fit, middle aged, in a living arrangement with only 1-2 people, in a densely packed city environment with a living place that is extremely close to their place of work, doesn't need to go anywhere after dark, at very least not on the "bad" side of town (after dark on the bad side of town about sums up all my college classes) it would also be beneficial to live in a location where the winters aren't super cold and snowy and the summers are not humid and blisteringly hot. (my state has both)

And don't try to dismiss that with public transportation, I don't know about where you are but by me trains are expensive and incontinent, while buses are less expensive but still to much, get you nowhere fast, and tend to be a miserable experiences overall. and even if it weren't for all those things "take the bus" doesn't negate most of the above statements
I will admit there are times where people are getting in the car for very little reason and that owing a bike for certain occasions is not a bad thing, but your statement that "You probably don't need a private vehicle." is absurd considering that for weather and safety reasons alone I couldn't picture anyone in my state not needing a car. Also I would say that learning to drive is far easier then learning to ride a bike, the former came easily to me and I got though drivers ed no problem, the later cost me most of my palms and the better part of my face at which point I said fuck it and never bothered to try again.

EDIT forgot an OT
I actually have no issue with cyclists as long as they A. don't act like it gives them some untouchable moral high ground and B. don't do stupid things like cut in front of me in a 60 MPH zone or ride at night in black clothing with no reflectors.

Meh. I don't know where you live. I have nothing but your word that alternatives to driving are so unfeasible. You claim that your public transport shits on itself and conditions are awful and intolerable and miserable, but as far as I know your public transport is the same as my public transport. How do I know you're not just being precious?

 

[Loonyyy]

Yep. Depending on where you are, there are 3 systems activating the lights: A timer, a metal detector, and the pedestrian crossing. Some lights only change when there is a car or a pedestrian wishing to cross the main lane.

Ah, I see, where I come from either you cross when the lights are red or there's a little button that will eventually get round to it but doesn't extend the time you can cross in, so as a cyclist you would either be able to cross with the cars or use the crossing as a pedestrian without making a difference to the light cycle.

Indeed. Although, if there are any crossings on a highway, those are likely using both a metal detector and a switch for the pedestrian crossing, because I think they only change when they have to. I read in some parts of America (I think it was California), that Motorcycles are allowed to cross at red lights if there are no cars, as they often do not trigger the vehicle sensing mechanisms on some crossings.

 

[lacktheknack]

Snip

bus. cheap. reliable. ahahaha I would like to know where this gentleman lives, because it sure as fuck is nowhere near me. Around here the buses are unreliable, tickets are way to expensive and pickpockets are common and by god its like being a human sardine.

Not up here (Canada). Then again, a lot of people use the public transit, so they have more trains/buses running. So you're in a Catch-22. Sucks for you.

 

[Zykon TheLich_v1legacy]

i'm talking about about button press crossings

Yep. Depending on where you are, there are 3 systems activating the lights: A timer, a metal detector, and the pedestrian crossing. Some lights only change when there is a car or a pedestrian wishing to cross the main lane.

Ah, I see, where I come from either you cross when the lights are red or there's a little button that will eventually get round to it but doesn't extend the time you can cross in, so as a cyclist you would either be able to cross with the cars or use the crossing as a pedestrian without making a difference to the light cycle.